Does anyone have a Bengal cat or a similarly unusual breed?

[Gracie]

I love my Bengal, Amber, and I don't know anyone other than my breeder who has one!

She's a tiny cat at 8 pounds, however she had been a whopping 11 pounds before the vet put her on a diet! She'll eat anything in sight, just like a dog, if she can get her paws on it. We have to clean up dinner right away or we'll come back out to the kitchen and find her munching on a roll!

She's a thief, too. She steals anything she can get her mouth around and bring it downstairs to the basement and play with it. Her favorite things are cylindrical objects like Chap Stick, wine corks and the top of her list - a highlighter. DH uses a highlighter when he does the bills and we keep it in a cup on the computer desk along with other pens and pencils. She will get up on the desk and pull the highlighter out of the cup and take it downstairs. DH is always moving the downstairs couches to find his highlighter. DD has lost several lip glosses from her dresser.

She's also very sweet and is everywhere we are. I cannot spit out toothpaste without pushing her out of the way. I also have to close the bathroom door completely or I will always have company! She loves warmth and comfort, unlike our other cat Gracie who will sleep on tables and chairs. Amber will make a cave out of bedcovers and throw blankets and burrow in for hours. DH says she's a big baby! I call her my mini-leopard. She "stalks" Gracie, waiting around corners for her and pouncing and ambushing her. Gracie is not amused. She looks really cool with her black spots, which are even on her belly!

Anyone else have a Bengal? Anyone have another unusual breed that you love?

Loren

[muriel3002]

Your cat sounds absolutely wonderful. We have two DSH's who have unique and endearing qualities, too.

My favorite is my father's Maine Coon! Ginger is a beautiful cat who loves to be stroked and petted and played with. She doesn't sleep all the time like other cats, either, so she's more active. My 2 dears are sleeping right now.

Max was a "project" cat for us. He's going to be 11 in May. His previous owners were friends of ours who just couldn't deal with him. He had quite a disposition! We got him from our friends when he was 3. When he first came to our home he spent 3 days behind the fridge. To this day I cannot figure out how he first back there. He would growl whenever anyone came near. We eventually got him out of there, and he ran into DS's bedroom. We figured he like closed in spaces, it must have made him feel more secure, so we got a box for him. He liked this arrangement. For years, this cat lived exclusively in DS's bedroom, only coming out for food and toilet requirements. It's been a long haul with this cat, but we can finally pet him! He doesn't tolerate being picked up, though. He doesn't really "cuddle", but will come and sit on your lap - but don't touch him or he'll leave. The sad thing is, now that Max has settled down is that he's 11 years old and in the last stages of his life. I get sad to thing that his lifespan may only be 4-6 more years.

I should also mention that Max loves to travel. He has to have a window seat, which often means putting the cooler where he can get on top of it and look out the window at all the passing vehicles. We have a family cottage up north that we spend every summer weekend at, so he is just in love with that place. There's lots of windows and bird action for him to look at.

Our 2nd cat, Josey, is a cuddle cat. We've had her since she was a kitten and thing that when you get them when they are that young you have a definite impact on their personality, beyond what they already are. She is very timid of strangers, though, and loud noises. When we travel she's content to sit on the seat and wait until the trip is over. She has found her way to under the passenger seat of the car, too.

Your Bengal sounds interesting. Does anyone have a Rag Doll cat? I'd love to know more about them, too.

[KBlackett]

We have two Seal Point Siamese kittens. We bought them as our Christmas gift and they are just like dogs!! They are sisters and they play constantly, sometimes very rough. One of the kittens, Bella is a total lover and she'll cuddle up to us and loves to be petted. Her sister Mia constantly plays and rarely lets us pet her or sits on our lap. They are extremely curious and they also steal our stuff and "relocate" it...
We can't let them sleep with us though because they only rest for one hour and then play on our bed while we're sleeping! We're hoping in time they will sleep better.
Does anyone have suggestions on how to get Mia to be more lovey like her sis?

[RebeccaT]

Lots and lots of holding. Mia and Bella (great nameSs) sound like typical kittens (mine would attack hy toes and my hair while I was sleeping!) but they will settle down in time (although mine still get the "night crazies" from time to time).

DH and I have 2 flame-point himalayans. They look like huge cotton balls with orange ears. They are so much fun, but chasing all the fur they shed is a full-time job! We have little "tumbleweeds" of fur all over the house, we vacuum, and they are back within 24 hours. They particularly like to shed on black clothing, in fact, I am convinced that they can turn it on and off at will! They are both lovers, but Linus, who lived with me before we got married, didn't always love to be cuddled as much as he does now. It took a couple of years, but now he's such a lover! We love our babies!

[valchemist]

I would love to see pictures of your cats! Actually, Julia would like to see them even more than me since she is kinda obsessed with them. (she is 11 months old now)

anyone care to post a picture for me and julia to see?

[VictoriaL]

Val,
I adore all cats, all sizes, and just had to see what one looked like! I did a search by typing in Bengal Cat and found a lot of photos. Some look like small leopards, and some white ones have grey "marbling". Really, really cool! Try the search!

[HRJ]

OK, Val, since you asked -- it doesn't take much coaxing to get me to show off my cat-pals. I hope that Loren can post a photo of Amber or Gracie, and that everyone else posts their kitties too -- they all sound so wonderful!! (And I don't want to feel like a show-off...)

Here's Fred and Ginger sitting in our basement window:



I have some better photos, but they're too large to post here -- I will have DH re-size them and put them up later ...


Helene

[HRJ]

BTW -- about unusual cats -- I once had a cat that was part Manx, the breed with no tail. He was not a purebred, and I got him when he was already grown, but the vet said that it was clear he had been born without a tail, rather than having lost it in an accident when he was young or something like that, so there was definitely some Manx in him.

This cat was named Oliver -- he was all white, with blue eyes. I had him when I was single and lived with a roommate -- she had a big "mutt" cat named Junior, with a tail. Junior used to stand next to the couch with his tail up in the air, and Oliver would sit on the couch and bat Junior's tail back and forth -- it looked as though Junior was letting Oliver "borrow" his tail to play with, since he had none of his own!

Here's a Manx (not Oliver, he's long gone ) :





Here are two cute photos of Bengals:

[Julia Abigail]

CAT!! CAT!!! CAT!!!!!

[valchemist]

Julia loves the pictures. She was yelling "CAT!" but now she has moved on to "MEOW! MEOW!"

Thanks!

[beejayw1]

I have two Bombay cats. This is the third rarest recognized breed in the U.S. Cat Fancy (as in 31 out of 34)

Bombays are pure black with orang eyes and very glossy coats. They're very affectionate and gentle, and especially good with children. I think I already posted photos of my two guys, BJ and Angel.

BJ:


Angel:


I also have a Burmese, Boomer.


Incidentally, Bengal cats have grown considerably in popularity, and there are several breed societies that you could contact. As someone said above, go to www.google.com and type in Bengal Cat Society. You'll get lots of links with wonderful photos.

Is yours marbled or spotted? What color?

[Gracie]

Amber is golden brown (hence her name) with spots. The marbled Bengals are great, too, but I wanted to have a mini-leopard! She looks really funny outside in the grass, especially when the grass is long right before we mow it, like we actually have a tiny wild animal stalking through the jungle.

Needless to say, at the price we paid for her, she doesn't go out often and only under strict supervision. We found out the hard way that she's a champion tree-climber!

I'd love to post a picture of her and Gracie - I have tons of digital pics of them. Helene or someone, can you help me do that?

Loren

[HRJ]

Hi Loren:

To post a photo, it has to be up on a website. I use space on my personal website, but if you don't have one, I know a lot of people here use Imagestation, where you can upload photos to an online album for free. Don't use Ofoto, because you can't link off that site.

Once the foto is on a website, use this coding:

Open Bracket IMG close bracket (don't put spaces between the brackets and the IMG) URL of photo Open Bracket /IMG Close bracket (again, no spaces between anything).

Someone else can probably explain this better than I just did.

HTH -- looking forward to seeing Gracie and Amber (too bad we didn't get to see them when we were at your house last summer. Amber sounds fantastic!).

Helene

[luv2cook]

I have a Singapura, an Asian cat. He's a doll. He's five months old now and quite a sweet boy. He loves to sleep under the covers and loves to do jump and practically does sommersalts when going after a moving object...he also loves it when you throw his mouse at him. he will catch it mid air...

I don't know how to post pictures. I have some saved in My Photos. I've tried doing it before w/out success. Maybe I can talk wallycat into posting. i've sent her pictures of him...oh, walllllycat??????

[Gracie]

Here is my breeder's website. She's very humorous and insightful with some of her explanations. I love the site because just rolling your mouse over some links will change the pictures. She has a ton of pictures, most of them very good.

I almost didn't post her website here since there is a photo of DD and I on there when we picked up Amber. The picture was taken 2 years ago before I began my 40+ pound weight loss journey and my hair has taken a much better turn as well. It certainly is one place I can go for inspiration to continue with my weight loss!!!! Even DD looks heavy in the picture, which she was and is not. I would love to send Karen an updated photo, but it's supposed to be taken when you pick up your kitten from her.

Enjoy the site for the OTHER photos and great information!

Karen Shaw's Askari Bengals Cattery website

Helene - I will try this weekend to post a pic of the cats!

Loren

[wallycat]

THis is a test for luv2cook's kitty:


http://www.imagestation.com/album/ac...d%3D4290743121



I've tried 2 different ways...can anyone besides me see these??

[luv2cook]

For me all it says is Join Imagestation but leaves the CL screen there it gives you a box at the bottom that you have to delete because you can't see anything...

[JLS]

I am the truly blessed owner of a beautiful female sealpoint siamese
and a male dsh (just as unique looking and beautiful as the siamese) is a very dark chocolate brown, with seafoam green eyes.

True to the breed, my siamese is extremely vocal, has beautiful ice
blue eyes, and is extremely owner loyal. When I am home, I have to always be within her eyesight. She is about 3 lbs overweight, and can only tolerate meat-by-product free foods. True to "breed color" when she lays a certain way on her side, her added stomach weight makes her look like a huge seal!

[beejayw1]

Imagestation is being goofy, which is why you can't get to the album Wallycat set up.

So, here are the photos:

Here's 14 year old Catrina, a beautiful RagDoll:


Here's Kit Kat, whom she took in, and who's doing well:


Here's Teko, her Singapura:


And here's Teko, relaxing on a comfortable human's arm:

[luv2cook]

Thanks for posting my pics, Diana! One small correction: Catrina is a RAGDOLL. A seal mitted girl. It's easy to mess that up, but one stroke of her fur, you KNOW she's a Raggie. Her fur is like rabbit fur. Birmans also look similar...

Teko, my Singapura, is wearing a Beastie band collar (red). These collars last forever, are made of a soft material and velcro on but could be pulled off in an emergency situation for an outside cat. One of my cats has worn one continuously for about five years and you take it off and you can't see that she ever wore one. very comfortable for the cat...

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by luv2cook
Thanks for posting my pics, Diana! One small correction: Catrina is a RAGDOLL.

Change noted and made. All I can say is, I must have been half asleep. Are they as cuddlesome as they are reputed to be?

Love the Beastie Band!

[muriel3002]

Originally posted by luv2cook
Thanks for posting my pics, Diana! One small correction: Catrina is a RAGDOLL. A seal mitted girl. It's easy to mess that up, but one stroke of her fur, you KNOW she's a Raggie. Her fur is like rabbit fur.

Have I got questions for you!

Do they shed like regular cats? Or at all?

And when you pet her, does she go all limp like they say they do?

[luv2cook]

Since copying and posting quotes isn't working I'll have to do it the hard way.

First, do they shed? Somewhat. But she loves to be brushed. I'd say she sheds less than my short-haired tabby.

Second, do they go limp? Hmmm, when she's going to the vet, absolutely. She'll curl in a ball right in your arms. BUT she sits in my lap every night and sleeps next to my pillow, on it, or on my face (if I could breath, that is). My Raggie prefers to sit on me than be held. I have met and held several that do go limp and I know of one person who had a kind of aloof one, but those are rare.

If this tells you anything, I received her when she was 8 years old. Her adjustment was kind of long, but she is definitely a sweetie.

Diana, yes, they are cuddly as you can see from above!!!!

Edited to add, Diana, that that "comfortable human arm" is mine! He was relaxing before his poking and prodding session at the vet...

[badunnin]

Diana - I've got a friend that is looking into getting a Burmese, and I thought I'd do a search here on the off chance that someone had one. What is their temperment like? Are they good around kids?

[ReneeV]

Hi Diane

I have a Bombay. I had no idea they were so rare! I got him under unusual circumstances. He was a Christmas gift from my then fiancé, now DH. I thought he was a "mut" until I took him for his first vet checkup. My DH bought him at a small mom and pop, independent pet shop in his home town. They routinely take in "homeless" kittens, have the local vet check them out and then sell them for a nominal price. Just enough to recoup their own expenses. I just thought Matilda was a pretty black cat with orange eyes! When I brought him to my vet, she asked where I had found a Bombay breeder in the area? I told her that he was a stray kitten from a local shop.
She was flabbergasted! She told me that if he was not a full bred Bombay, he was darn close.

I read up on the breed and I must say that he is a "typical" Bombay in behavior and physical characteristics. He is glossy and heavy for his size, likes to be near people, but is not fond of being picked up. He LOVES to lie next to me on the couch, but NOT on my lap.

My other cat, Newman, also came from that little shop. He's a real beauty! He's a tabby/seal point siamese. He's off white and faun striped with seal points and has the biggest, bluest eyes you've ever seen. He's my lovey-dovey. I can barely get my butt in a chair and he's on my lap! I love them both. They're funny and fun companions.

Renée

[beejayw1]

I'm PM'ing this, too

Originally posted by badunnin
Diana - I've got a friend that is looking into getting a Burmese, and I thought I'd do a search here on the off chance that someone had one. What is their temperment like? Are they good around kids?

I can't recommend Burmese highly enough. They are (generally speaking) very intelligent and very loving. If you win a Burmese's heart, you've got it for life. Edited to add: They are good with children, but as with any small animal, you have to make sure the children understand that they must be gentle. None of the Burms I've known ever deliberately bit or scratched (they will do 'love nibbles', though, but that's a different thing.)

I had two Burmese brothers for 16 1/2 years; they broke my heart when they died at the grand old age of 17, a month apart. I found I had to get another Burmese, which is when I got Boo.

The first were an accident: I'd seen an ad in the paper and went to take a look. They were an accidental brother/sister mating, and I just fell in love.

They are happy cats, friendly, generally loving people in general and you in particular. Like all oriental cats, they can have bad teeth, so tell your friend to get their teeth checked regularly if she gets a Burmese. Like most oriental cats, they tend to be long-lived. They aren't as 'twangy' in voice as Siamese, or as 'kooky'. Interestingly, among cat breeds, Burmese are known to be good fathers.

Where is your friend? There is a breeder I highly recommend in Maryland. Or he could put your friend in touch with a good breeder.

As a caution, however: like all purebred anythings, they can be expensive. Feel free to PM me or email me.

[badunnin]

Diana - thanks for the info. Unfortunately, my friend, Roxanna, is in Santa Barbara (she was my roomate for a summer when I was in Portland, OR for grad school.) It's good to hear that they are "people" cats - in my opinion, there's nothing worse than having a cat or dog (although I don't see it as much with dogs) that you never see or hear from except at mealtimes. I know she doesn't want a Siamese based on the whole wailing thing that they have.

[mbrogier]

My male cat I think is part Bengal. He has brown spots all over his body. He is a very big cat, but he's not fat. We found him as a stray--he climbed up in my husbands car. DH didn't know he was there. Macavity doesn't have a very outgoing temperment, but we don't know if its because of the car experience or if its just him. He is a very sweet cat. He does get "moods" where he plays and walks around the house "singing" in this one syllable song that he has.

My female cat is sweet and had huge ears as a kitten. I got her at a pet store. They don't sell dogs or cats, but someone had brought in some stray kittens. I was buying kitten food for Macavity and was informed that the special of the day was get a free kitten with a bag of cat food. I wanted a kitten as a playmate for Macavity. That's how we got Grisouille. (french for little gray frog) We call her Gris. (gree) As you can see, they get along very well. Gris comes into the bathroom when we're in there, and when you touch her, she just falls right over and purrs really loud--its funny. Her fur feels like rabbit fur. I kind of see a siamese face on her, but not in her markings. She's very expressive and she squeaks.

[mbrogier]

I have pictures, but I just can't get them to post on this website.